RPM : Java Glossary

RPM (Red Hat Program Manager), a Linux format
for distributing software bundles for easy installation on Linux Mandriva/Mandrake,
Red Hat, Novell/SuSE and others. It is like a super-zip. On Linux, installation is a
much simpler and less hazardous enterprise on Windows. There is no central registry
as on Windows. To move an application from drive to drive, you just move the contents
of a directory tree. Similarly, you can back up and restore applications and between
machines. RPM is not that much more complicated than a Zip file. The
only question an RPM
install needs to ask the user is where in the directory tree (which indirectly
defines the physical drive) you want the package installed, if the default is
unsuitable.